What is VMware vSphere ESXi and vCenter?

In this video I give a quick break down of some of the key features and differences between VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5 and VMware vCenter 6.5. I also give a quick demonstration of what it looks like when both ESXi and the vCenter Server Appliance are fully booted and sitting at the console screen. Lastly, I demo vSphere ESXi 6.5's Web UI along with both the flash based and HTML 5 based vCenter Web UI's. By the end of the video you should have a basic idea of what VMware vSphere ESXi and vCenter are, how they look and are managed from an end user perspective and also when to bring vCenter into your environment.

Get ESXi for free here:

My Blog post with more info and links can be found here:

[Rickety]

This should be THE definitive video when someone searches “vmware”. Well done

[mrnutsy]

"It all turns to on big jumbled mess." Truer words have never been spoken! I have been looking for information that was as clear as this was for a long time, and now I have found it!!

THANK YOU!"

[Ironman-MS]

As a IT person, who was trying to explain all of this to my new coworkers, i will have to give you thumbs up, and you have earned my subscription with this one. Good job!

[qadirtaylor]

All the thousands of waisted hours writing manuals, creating support pages and forums and this guy just sums it so nicely in under 30mins. Just shows that you can have the best productin the world but if you dont have people like Rob Willis to spark your interest, then you still got nothing. Well done, been looking to do something like this.

[SwampyOgre]

This was 100 times more informative than going to VMWare's website and watching their videos. Thank you!

[TheRohel]

I have worked on project based on VMware workstation, but now I need to use and do projects on VMware vSphere and vCenter (for education) and had no clue about what these devices' features and functions. Now it will be easier to dive deep after watching this. Thank you.

[hiccup]

I have an interview @ VMWare in 2 days, i came from Microsoft AD and know nothing about this vmware stuff ! :D
But once i starting digging for info, i was STUNNED !
And you, you sir are a GENIUS, the amount of info is SO GOOD!
Very precise !
Thank you !
Wish me luck!

[honaker]

My boss is sending me to a esxi 6.7 class to learn more about it. I am more versed in hyper-v server and linux. I'm going to reconfigure my dell r620 at home with the free version to do some testing before the training. Thanks for explaining the differences between vsphere and vcenter. I will only be needing vsphere since I have a single host. Good to know. Your video is two years old, but still relevant and broken down in simpler terminology. Great for beginners. Thanks for taking the time to do it.

[djangointerface]

I clearly understand how the whole VMware infrastructure works now. Thanks for this video. A+++

[kamalkapur]

Great video that clears up all the clouds about ESXi and VCentre. It really amazes me that VMWare does not have a single document which explains all this even half as clearly.

[Astrochaitanya]

One of the Best point to point tutorial on internet. Such a great teacher. Thanks rob !!!!

[bhargavar]

Thanks to this genius. I was hell confused on what is the difference between ESXi interface and vSphere interface and how can I install them. It seems crystal clear now.

[Brian-nzns]

This is a good basic explanation. It took me a while to figure all this out, but the best way to learn is by doing. I paid for the vSphere Essentials, which is ~$500 and includes a lifetime license up to 3 hosts and comes with vCenter Server. You also have to maintain a support contract if you want updates/new versions, another $60/yr. However they do update the product about 1-2 times a year and it has come a long way since 6.0

[andresgallardo]

REALLY WELL DONE!
VMware licensing and softwares is so confusing, i was literally hours trying to find a good explanation. It also doesn't help VMware uses so fancy and confusing naming for their software ESXi, Vcenter I just mention to my father some of this names and he thinks that now I am a 'hacker' LOL

[pedromaione]

Fast talking but very clear and with the relevant info. Possibile the most effective 20 minutes on this subject. Thanks.

[pvman]

I have to ditto everything all the other commenters said. Great job, cleared up a lot of confusion. This has started me toward a great deal more productivity.

[quantalytix]

Excellent explanation! Thank you for making this video, it really cleared everything up! I now have a pretty good understanding of how ESXi and vCenter work. I would love to see a lab video on DRS, vMotion, and HA. Cheers!

[oasis]

Outstanding video on VMware, ESXi, vSphere and vCenter. You are an excellent instructor... Thank you so much for posting!

[kimb.]

16:39 for the summary. Great video thanks for sharing!

[svddwd]

Crisp and Clear for someone new to Vmware. Thank you.